The moment-to-moment gameplay of runnin’-and-gunnin’ is super fun, but players are reporting that they get a start-up issue. Is your Borderlands 3 not launching, too?
Why is this happening? Borderlands 3 not launching can be caused by many issues from graphic card or compatibility issues or software conflicting to administrative rights, etc.
Many of the avid gamers feel it quite tricky to troubleshoot the exact issue, however, you can follow this troubleshooting guide to fix the problem and join your friends quickly.
Try these fixes
Here is a list of all possible fixes that have helped many users. You may not have to try them all; just work your way down the list until you find the one that works for you.
- Update Epic Games Launcher
- Verify integrity of game files
- Run as administrator
- Check for Windows updates
- Update device drivers
- Reverting back to DX11
- Temporarily disable anti-virus software
- Install the latest patch
- Perform a clean boot
- Run system file checker
- Reinstall the game
Fix 1: Update Epic Games Launcher
Actually, many Borderlands 3 gamers find the fix as simple as updating the Epic Games Launcher. If updates need to be installed, the launcher should automatically detect them.
However, sometimes it just fails to install the update. The Restart and Update button under Settings is gone now, but you can restart Epic Games a few times to see if this magically works.
Fix 2: Verify integrity of game files
It’s always wise and easy to check your game files first. Corrupted game files can stop Borderlands 3 from launching successfully. To see if that’s your problem, you need to verify the game files.
1) In Epic Game Launcher, navigate to your Library. Click the cog icon on the lower-right corner of Borderlands 3.
2) Click Verify and wait till the verification to complete.
After verifying the game files, relaunch Borderlands 3 to see if it’s fixed. If so, then congrats! If not, don’t worry, there are a few fixes you can try.
Fix 3: Run as administrator
Borderlands 3 sometimes may not be able to access certain game files on your PC under normal user mode, which could be the cause of the not launching issue. To fix it, you can try running it as an administrator.
1) Right-click the Epic Games Launcher icon on your desktop and select Properties.
2) Click the Compatibility tab and check the Run this program as an administrator box. Then click Apply and OK.
3) Go to the directory where you installed Borderlands 3, and run the .exe file as administrator as well.
4) Relaunch Borderlands 3 from the Epic Games Launcher to test the issue.
If the problem still persists, then go ahead with the fix below.
Fix 4: Check for Windows updates
To ensure compatibility, you can always check if you have the latest updates. If your PC is running on Windows 10, you just need to perform a Windows Update.
1) Type updates in the search box, then select Check for updates.
2) If there are updates available, you can click Download, then follow the on-screen directions to finish installing.
Or if it says You’re up to date, just click Check for updates. Windows will start searching for available updates and automatically download and install the updates if there are any.
Once you’ve updated your system, perform a complete shutdown and restart your PC, then see if the issue is fixed.
Fix 5: Update device drivers
Sometimes Borderlands 3 may fail to launch because of a corrupted or outdated driver, especially your graphics card driver (sometimes your sound card driver). In that case, you’ll probably experience the Borderlands 3 not launching or crashing issues.
Updating your graphics driver to the latest version can make your game run smoother and prevents other possible issues or errors.
You may either download the most up-to-date drivers online and install them manually, or simply do it automatically with Driver Easy.
Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for it. You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don’t need to risk downloading and installing the wrong driver, and you don’t need to worry about making a mistake when installing.
You can update your drivers automatically with either the FREE or the Pro version of Driver Easy. But with the Pro version it takes just 2 clicks (and you get full support and a 30-day money back guarantee):
1) Download and install Driver Easy.
2) Run Driver Easy and click Scan Now. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
3) Click the Update button to download the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system, and then manually install it.
Or you can also click the Update All button at the bottom right to automatically update all outdated or missing drivers on your computer. (This requires the Pro version — you will have full tech support and a 30-day money-back guarantee.)
4) Restart your PC and try to run your game on Epic Games Launcher to see if it works.
Fix 6: Reverting back to DX11
If you try to enable DX12 on Borderlands 3 and get stuck in loading forever, you can try to set it back to DX11 and it will work again.
1) On your PC, go to
%USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Borderlands 3\Saved\Config\WindowsNoEditor\
2) In WindowsNoEditor, right-click the file titled GameUserSettings.ini and select Edit with Notepad.
3) In Notepad, scroll all the way down to find the line where it says PreferredGraphicsAPI and change DX12 to DX11, then save the file.
4) Restart your PC and relaunch Borderlands 3 to test the issue.
Fix 7: Temporarily disable anti-virus software
Borderlands 3 not launching is sometimes caused by your third-party antivirus application. To see if that’s the problem for you, temporarily disable your antivirus program and check if the problem persists.
Since Borderlands 3 consumes a lot of memory and CPU usage when it’s running, many third-party antivirus applications may regard it as a potential threat and Borderlands 3 may not launch as expected.
If that’s the cause of your problem, you can try adding Borderlands 3 as an exception to your third-party antivirus application. (Please consult your antivirus documentation for instructions if you don’t know how to do it.)
Fix 8: Install the latest game patch
Gearbox Software keeps releasing game patches to fix bugs and improve gaming performance. It’s possible that a new patch might be able to fix Borderlands 3 not launching issue.
If a new patch is available, you can just download and install it to see if it fixes your problem; if there are no patches available, or if the issue persists after you installed the latest patch, try the next fix below.
Fix 9: Perform a clean boot
If Borderlands 3 still fails to launch, it may be caused by other software on your PC. You may need a clean boot to find out the problematic software. Here is how to do it:
1) Press the Windows key + R at the same time to open the Run box. Type msconfig and hit Enter.
2) Click the Services tab and check the Hide all Microsoft services box, then click Disable all.
3) Select the Startup tab and click Open Task Manager.
4) Under the Startup tab, select each startup item and then click Disable.
5) Click Apply > OK.
6) Restart your PC and launch Borderland 3 to see if the game can launch normally.
If so, congrats! However, you’ll need to find out the problematic software. Here is how to do it:
1. Open the System Configuration again.
2. Enable services and applications that you’ve disabled one by one until you find the problematic one.
Once you find out the problematic software, you need to uninstall it to avoid running into the same issue in the future.
Fix 10: Run system file checker
Missing or damaged system files may lead to Borderlands not launching. To fix this problem, you can use the system file checker tool of Windows to check for any file corruption and thereby repair it.
1) On your keyboard, press the Windows Logo Key and R at the same time to open the Run dialog box. Type cmd and press Ctrl+Shift+Enter to run Command Prompt as administrator.
2) Click Yes when you are prompted for permission.
3) In the Command Prompt window, type the following command (note that there’s a space between sfc and /) and press Enter.
sfc /scannow
4) Wait for the system scan to finish. Windows will try repairing your corrupted and missing files during the process.
5) When the verification is finished, you may receive the following messages:
- Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.
It means you don’t have any missing or corrupted system files. You can go ahead with the next fix to solve your problem. - Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them
You can perform a restart and try to relaunch Borderland 3 to see if it’s fixed.
Fix 11: Reinstall the game
If none of the fixes above works for you, you may need to try reinstalling the game to solve this problem.
1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time to invoke the Run box.
2) Type appwiz.cpl and press Enter.
3) Right-click Borderlands 3, then click Uninstall.
Normally, Borderlands 3 can work properly again after you reinstall it. If it still doesn’t work, you may uninstall Epic Games as well.
We hope this helps resolve your problem. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave us a comment below.
